Fish Tank - Case Study

Director by: Andrea Arnold
Year released: 2009
Production Company: BBC Films, UK Film Council, Limelight Communication, ContentFilm & Kasander Film Company

Cast:
Katie Jarvis as Mia Williams
Michael Fassbender as Connor O'Reily
Kierston Wareing as Joanne Williams
Sydney Mary Nash as Keira O'Reily
Rebecca Griffiths as Tyler Williams
Harry Treadaway as Billy
Sarah Bayes as Keely

Box Office: 
Opening weekend - $32,619
Gross - $373,060

Fish Tank features a young actress (Katie Jarvis) who had no previous acting experience. She was spotted by the directors casting assistant arguing with her boyfriend at a train station. Jarvis' character within the film is Mia, a vulnerable and unstable teenager growing up in a deprived area. The film includes social realism as it was shot in real locations know for crime in the area. One of the representations would be how Tyler,  Mia's little sister contrasts with Connor's daughter Kiera. Kiera has been brought up in a much better environment than Tyler, she can play on a safe street and gets to enjoy her childhood. Tyler, however has seen to be growing up way faster than a child should as she is exposed to much harsher content.
Throughout the film we as the audience tend to be more sympathetic towards Mia than we do her mother. This is because we expect her mother to be responsible for her children and look after them but Joanne Williams comes across as far more wayward than the audience would like, meaning both of the young girls are lacking a good role model.